Headlines

 Mar.21 (IOPD).– On March 4, representatives of 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean approved the first binding agreement in the region on protection of rights of access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters

This text remained in negotiation since 2014, and was approved by the representatives in this ninth Meeting of the Negotiating Committee of the Regional Agreement on Principle 10** in San José, Costa Rica. The agreement will be open for signature by the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and will be available on September 27 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Orbital ATK is developing the Next Generation Launch system for the U.S. Air Force. The system is a new American lineup of intermediate- and large-class space launch rocket vehicles capable of use for national security missions, as well as science and commercial payloads for other customers.  

Promontory, Mar.11.– Orbital ATK is vying to build the latest generation of rockets for the U.S. Air Force.

The Virginia-based company, with operations in Box Elder County, is working on the development of what is being called the Next Generation Launch system — a new American lineup of intermediate- and large-class rockets capable of launching the full range of national security missions required by the Air Force, as well as science and commercial payloads for other customers, according to the Orbital ATK website.

 Beijing, Mar.12.– On Sunday, China’s parliament overwhelmingly approved a series of constitutional amendments that, among other changes, abolish the current two five-year term limits for the presidency and vice-presidency, a highly controversial move that allows President Xi Jinping to remain in power indefinitely and shifts the country back towards a system resembling Mao-era one-man rule.

Ben Blanchard and Christian Shepherd of Reuters report on the scene in the Great Hall of the People as the congressional vote was cast:

Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminium would be just the start of a trade war.

Mar.8.– Donald Trump is hardly the first American president to slap unilateral tariffs on imports. Every inhabitant of the Oval Office since Jimmy Carter has imposed some kind of protectionist curbs on trade, often on steel. Nor will Mr Trump’s vow to put 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminium by themselves wreck the economy: they account for 2% of last year’s $2.4trn of goods imports, or 0.2% of GDP. If this were the extent of Mr Trump’s protectionism, it would simply be an act of senseless self-harm. In fact, it is a potential disaster—both for America and for the world economy.  

As yet it is unclear exactly what Mr Trump will do. But the omens are bad. Unlike his predecessors, Mr Trump is a long-standing sceptic of free trade. He has sneered at the multilateral trading system, which he sees as a bad deal for America.